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WARNING – SPOILERS!!! Pac Man, Back to the Future, and Blade Runner are only a few titles that make up the 1980s cinematic nostalgia trip in Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One, now playing in theaters. Based on the novel by Ernest Cline, Ready Player One follows a young man named Wade Watts who lives in a dystopian United States in 2045. Humanity, as Wade knows it, is plagued by a failing economic system, an ominous corporate-governing body, and a tainted outdoor environment, all the result of an energy crisis caused by global warming, corporate greed, and the depletion of Earth’s fossil fuels. Since the real-world is no longer a pleasant place to spend your time, Wade, like most people, spends his days in the OASIS, an interactive virtual reality comprised of games and puzzles from every video game, movie, book, or television show made primarily between 1980 and 1990, although there are a few exceptions. The OASIS is the mind-child of James Halliday (obviously Cline’s own doppelganger) who, prior to his death, left a hidden Easter Egg inside the OASIS that, if found, provides the winner with his massive fortune and control of the corporation running the OASIS, and that’s where Wade’s (or Parzival as he is named in the OASIS) story begins. Continue reading →

Last week fans were able to catch a sneak peak at a scene from the upcoming Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, due out in March 2016. The film is the follow up to director Zack Snyder‘s Man of Steel and the precursor to Warner Bros./DC Comics upcoming Justice League movie, which will follow the next year in 2017. Most of the supporting cast from Man of Steel will be reprising their roles, including Henry Cavill (Stardust, The Man From UNCLE) as Superman, Amy Adams (American Hustle, Big Eyes) as Lois Lane, Diane Lane (Unfaithful, Trumbo), and Michael Shannon (World Trade Center, Revolutionary Road), with newcomers Ben Affleck (Argo, The Town) as Batman, Gal Gadot (Fast Five, Furious 7), Jason Momoa (Game of Thrones, Conan the Barbarian), Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network, Zombieland), Holly Hunter (The Piano, Oh Brother Where Art Thou?), Jeremy Irons (The Man in the Iron Mask, Die Hard with a Vengeance), and Laurence Fishburne (Apocalypse Now, The Matrix) also joining the cast. The new trailer introduces the major players, including Eisenberg’s Lex Luther and a glimpse of Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, and also of the opposing relationship between Batman and Superman and the political storm surrounding crime in Metropolis and Gotham City. Check out the full trailer here on MADE, and as always, enjoy!

A new trailer has just been released for director Zack Snyder‘s upcoming Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice. The film will be the follow up to Snyder’s Man of Steel (2013), with Henry Cavill (Stardust, The Man from UNCLE) and Oscar-nominee Amy Adams (American Hustle, Big Eyes) reprising their roles as Superman and Lois Lane, and introducing Ben Affleck (The Town, Argo) in the role of Batman/Bruce Wayne. Honestly, it already looks terrible, but I’ll let you judge for yourself. In preparation for Warner Bros/DC Comics big screen production of Justice League, which is expected in theaters in 2017, the film will also introduce Gal Gadot (Fast & Furious 6, Furious 7) in the role of Wonder Woman (with an independent Wonder Woman movie also expected in theaters in 2017) and Jason Momoa (Conan the Barbarian, Bullet in the Head) in the role of Aquaman. And yes, there will be an independent Aquaman movie coming out in 2018, along with The Flash, who will be played by Ezra Miller (We Need To Talk About Kevin, The Perks of Being A Wallflower) and may be making a brief appearance in this movie. In other words, once Star Wars: The Force Awakens is out, it’s right back to milking the comic books. Continue reading →

Fans of the James Bond film franchise will once again get to see Daniel Craig (Casino Royale, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) grace the screen as the infamous British Secret Service agent. Spectre is the first release in the series since 2012’s Skyfall, and is once again being directed by Oscar-winning Skyfall and American Beauty director Sam Mendes. Spectre will see the character of Bond return to his roots, as he embarks on a mission to uncover the top secret criminal organization known as SPECTRE, while M fights struggles to keep the British government from dismantling the Secret Service. This is the same criminal organization that the character faced in the Sean Connery films, and first appeared in the Bond novels by author Ian Fleming. Skyfall writers John Logan, Neal Purvis, and Robert Wade penned the script for the new film with screenwriter Jez Butterworth (Get On Up, Edge of Tomorrow). Continue reading →

The new trailer for the upcoming 24th installment in the James Bond franchise, titled Spectre, debuted during Game 3 of the 2015 NBA Playoffs this week. Once again starring Daniel Craig (Road to Perdition, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) in the title role, the film will bring Craig’s Bond story full circle as he finally comes face-to-face with the secret organization he has been hunting since his first outing in Casino Royale. If you’re not familiar with the series history, let me clue-you-in. In author Ian Fleming‘s original Bond novels, and the original Sean Connery films in the 1960s, Bond was always faced with a scheme carried out by a different member of the SPECTRE organization, whose leader was revealed as Ernst Stavro Blofeld in You Only Live Twice (1967), and who remained Bond’s primary nemesis until Connery’s last series appearance in Diamonds Are Forever (1971). The character and organization essentially disappeared from the series after Roger Moore took over the part for Live and Let Die (1973). The new film, Spectre, will now bring Bond back to his roots, as the new plot finds him tracking the scope of the organization’s reach in Britain’s political system while M struggles to keep the secret service from being dismantled. Returning to reprise their roles from Skyfall are actors Ralph Fiennes (The Constant Gardener, The Grand Budapest Hotel), Naomie Harris (28 Days Later, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest), and Ben Whishaw (I’m Not There, Cloud Atlas), along with new cast members Dave Bautista (Riddick, Guardians of the Galaxy), Monica Bellucci (Malena, The Matrix Reloaded), Lea Seydoux (Inglorious Basterds, Blue Is The Warmest Color), and Oscar-winner Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained, Big Eyes). Skyfall director Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Revolutionary Road) is returning to direct the new film from a screenplay by John Logan (Gladiator, The Aviator), and writing-team Neal Purvis and Robert Wade (The World is Not Enough, Die Another Day). The movie is due out in theaters this November. Enjoy the trailer!

The new film from Andy and Lana Wachowski, Jupiter Ascending, is now playing in theaters nationwide. Starring Mila Kunis (Ted, Oz:The Great and Powerful), Channing Tatum (21 Jump Street, White House Down), Sean Bean (The Lord of the Rings:The Fellowship of the Ring, Game of Thrones), and Oscar-nominee Eddie Redmayne (Les Miserables, The Theory of Everything), the film follows Jupiter (Kunis), a young woman living in Earth’s distant future who is the unknowing heir of a powerful cosmic dynasty and must travel into space with warrior Caine (Tatum) in order to stop an evil tyrant (Redmayne) from claiming her birthright. Directors Andy and Lana Wachowski (The Matrix Trilogy) co-wrote the screenplay for the film (which is rumored to have been more than 600 pages long), which was originally scheduled for a June 2014 release, but considering the scale of the film and the necessity for minute detail in the special effects department, the film was pushed back to a February 2015 release. While the Wachowski’s made history with their groundbreaking special-effects work in The Matrix, some movie-goers who have already seen Jupiter warned me to watch it on a standard screen, and not necessarily in 3D, owing to the fact that the movie is so heavily reliant on blue-screen backdrops and digital effects. Anyway, you can watch the trailer here on MADE, and if you’re a fan of the Wachowski’s filmmaking, definitely make an effort to check it out.

The creators behind The Matrix trilogy and Cloud Atlas are returning next month with a new project titled Jupiter Ascending, starring Mila Kunis (Black Swan, Ted), Channing Tatum (21 Jump Street, White House Down), and Eddie Redmayne (Les Miserables, The Theory of Everything). The film takes place in a futuristic world in which the Queen of the Universe elects a young human woman for assassination in an effort to ensure her Reign will continue. The movie is written and directed by filmmaking siblings Andy and Lana Wachowski, and like The Matrix and Cloud Atlas, the visual effects look outstanding. As for how great a movie it will be as a whole, however, I’m not so sure. The Matrix movies were all pretty great, but Cloud Atlas wasn’t particularly well received by audiences owing to the fact that the story jumped around a lot and was harder to follow at times, but maybe this one will have a much smoother flow to it. We’ll find out February 6th. In the meantime you can watch the trailer here on MADE.

We finally have something to call the upcoming James Bond installment other than “Bond 24”. Eon Productions Ltd recently announced that the new film would bring the Bond franchise back full circle with the title S.P.E.C.T.R.E., the name of the organization Bond originally battled in author Ian Fleming‘s original novels. The first Bond film, Dr. No (1962), was the first to introduce the organization as Bond’s primary antagonist, and Sean Connery’s Bond films would continue with Fleming’s direct material until Roger Moore took over with Live and Let Die in 1973. S.P.E.C.T.R.E.‘s plot will follow Bond and M (played by Daniel Craig and Ralph Fiennes respectively) as they fight to keep the British Secret Service from being destroyed from within by the schemes of a mysterious organization. S.P.E.C.T.R.E. stands for Special Executive for Counter-Intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge, and Extortion. The cast will once again feature Ben Whishaw and Naomie Harris as Q and Moneypenny, as well as Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained, Inglorious Basterds), Dave Bautista (Riddick, Guardians of the Galaxy), Monica Bellucci (The Matrix Reloaded, The Whistleblower), and Lea Seydoux (Blue Is The Warmest Color, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Skyfall director Sam Mendes will return to direct and the film has been scheduled for release in November 2015. Stay tuned.

The third and final installment in Peter Jackson‘s new film trilogy The Hobbit is scheduled to open in theaters this December 17th. Subtitled The Battle of the Five Armies, the movie will close out the over-extended film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien‘s pre-Lord of the Rings adventure that follows the hobbit Bilbo Baggins after he is recruited by the wizard, Gandalf, to assist Thorin and his band of dwarfs in reclaiming a lost treasure from the ancient dragon Smaug. The first two installments were subtitled An Unexpected Journey and The Desolation of Smaug, and brought back from Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy actors Ian McKellen (Gandalf-X2: X-Men United, The Da Vinci Code), Cate Blanchett (Galadriel-The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Elizabeth: The Golden Age), Orlando Bloom (Legolas-Pirates of the Caribbean, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring), Christopher Lee (Saruman-Sleepy Hollow, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith), Hugo Weaving (Elrond-The Matrix, V for Vendetta), and Ian Holm (older Bilbo-Alien, The Fifth Element). Jackson adapted the screenplay for The Hobbit movies with returning Lord of the Rings collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, and writer/director Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy). Some cinemas will be playing all three Hobbit films this holiday season to celebrate the Battle of the Five Armies release, and there are rumors flying around all over the web that a teaser trailer for J.J. Abrams upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens will be played during the previews for The Hobbit. So if you are a fan of Jackson or Tolkien by all means go and catch the final film on the big screen this holiday season. You can watch the trailer right here on MADE.

Author Ernie Cline has turned a lot of heads with his futuristic novel Ready Player One, which is a bit of a twist between The Matrix and Inception, as far as stepping into alternate realities go. The book follows Wade Watts, a teenager in 2044 who regularly ventures into a virtual reality program called OASIS. The program contains a series of puzzles and games that the players must solve in order to ‘win’ the ultimate prize: the entire fortune of the game’s creator. Of course Wade is not the only one in the virtual realm looking to win the big prize which is where the story begins, as Wade comes up against players who are willing to overstep the boundaries of morality and law in order to be the winner. The novel was published in 2011 and now Warner Bros. (who has been trying to get the project going for some time) has hired screenwriter Zak Penn to adapt the novel into a workable screenplay. The Avengers and X2: X-Men United writer has been brought on to brush up the initial adaptation co-written by the author and screenwriter Eric Eason. Donald De Line and Dan Farah are in charge of producing the film for Warner Bros., but there is no director attached to the project at this time. Christopher Nolan would probably be a good choice for this, but he is currently wrapping up post-production on his space exploration film, Interstellar, so he may be unavailable for some time. We’ll keep you posted.